FACULTY SCHOLAR APPLICATION INFORMATION

Call for Applications: Funding Opportunity for Early Stage Investigators In Learning Health Systems  

The Massachusetts Institute for Excellence and Quality in Learning Health Systems (Mass EQLHS) announces a funding opportunity for early career faculty committed to conducting research as embedded scientists in learning health systems. Health care organizations across Massachusetts have united under a federally funded grant to train a workforce, advance learning health system science, and improve healthcare outcomes.

This program invites early career faculty, both clinician and non-clinician applicants, who can dedicate at least 20%-40% effort to research. The program provides limited salary support (with home organizations expected to share in this support). The program also provides additional research support funding (up to $20k for one year and up to $40K for 2 years) commensurate with project effort and a collaborative mentored environment focused on improving health outcomes and learning health organizations. 

Applications must be emailed to bidmc-masseqlhs@bidmc.harvard.edu by 11:59pm ET on Sunday, June 15, 2025.

To Submit: The full application consists of the elements below and should be no more than 6 pages in length, with 11-point Arial or Times New Roman font and 0.5 margins as a Microsoft Word document. Please find an optional application formatting example at the bottom of this page.

Application must include (maximum 6 pages):

1.     Candidate Description: Include full name and credentials (e.g. Jeanne-Marie Guise, MD, MBA, MPH), contact information (email, phone number, address), position(s), institution(s), and project title. Please also include candidate research career goals by describing the candidate, their alignment with learning health systems (LHS) research, and how the Mass EQLHS program will further the candidate’s research career and ultimately have an impact in learning health systems science.

2.     Health System of Proposed Study: Candidate is responsible to arrange home institution shared funding and mentoring plans prior to application.

3.     Start Date: October 1, 2025

4.     Career Development Plan: Outline the candidate’s career development plan including mandatory table (see example below) demonstrating fulfillment of AHRQ LHS Core Competencies pertinent to candidate’s planned research career (https://www.ahrq.gov/learning-health-systems/building-workforce.html). The mandatory table will not count towards the 6-page limit.

5.     Research Plan: Describe a sound, domestic research project that is aligned with health system priorities and learning health system research. Project should also be consistent with the candidate’s level of research expertise, advances their career development, positions them for future funded research, and aligns with Mass EQLHS goals.

6.     Mentoring Plan: Identify individuals to be primary and secondary research mentors, health system mentors, and represent patients. Mentors’ proposed roles, qualifications, and commitment to monitoring, evaluating, and ensuring the candidate’s successful development of a research career should be described (e.g., meeting schedule expectations and contributions). 

  • Identify a primary and secondary research mentor

  • Specify the patient representative or the type of patient one wishes to engage. 

  • Health system mentors should be an administrative leader or clinician with operational experience in health systems. This person does not need to be a researcher but will assist in implementing the proposed research and scaling and spreading success.

7.     Patient Engagement Plan: Patient engagement is also an important learning health system core competency. It is intended to make research more patient centered, realistic, and sustainable. The candidate should describe the relevant patients and proposed methods used to engage them throughout the research.

Please note the following sections 8-11 are not included in the 6-page limit.

8.     References: Please use your preferred format to cite any references in your application.

9.     Budget: Budget should reflect salary support up to 40% time shared with scholar’s home organization (please see budget FAQs below for important details). In addition to salary support, budget should reflect research funding (up to $20k total cost for one year and up to $40K total cost for 2 years) commensurate with project effort (see allowed expenses in budget FAQs below). 

10.  Biosketches: Attach NIH-style biographical sketches of candidate and research mentors (not required for patient representative or health system mentors). Please use the “non-fellowship biosketch” format described on the NIH website (https://grants.nih.gov/grants-process/write-application/forms-directory/biosketch). [LR4] 

11.  Letters of Support: Please attach letters as PDFs from the following:

  • Primary Research Mentor: Expertise in content area and as an experienced mentor with details of the time commitment and structure of mentoring supervision and coordination with mentoring panel

  • Secondary Research Mentor: Expertise, mentoring experience and willingness to commit time to mentoring and assisting with the proposed research and career development

  • Health System Mentor: Agreement that the research will be conducted in their health system and is a health system priority. The letter should also include a description of how the health system mentor will facilitate the proposed research project as well as dissemination and spread of success systemwide.

  • Department Chair or Institutional Official: Include that the candidate is a faculty in good standing, agreement to protected time, in-kind support, and will make up the difference between salary provided in grant and actual salary, if needed, and the resources that will be available.

Please see Scholar Eligibility details in FAQs below.

Questions If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact our Mass EQLHS team (bidmc-masseqlhs@bidmc.harvard.edu).

Example Mandatory LHS Core Competency Table (does NOT count towards 6-page limit)

*https://www.ahrq.gov/learning-health-systems/building-workforce.html

Frequently Asked Questions

Eligibility

Who is eligible to apply for the Mass EQLHS research scholar opportunity?

  • Mass EQLHS is seeking early career faculty committed to conducting research as embedded scientists in learning health systems. Eligible applicants must:

  • Be early in their faculty careers, as defined by the NIH Early Stage Investigator policy. Special circumstances should be noted in application materials.

  • Be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or lawful permanent resident.

  • Hold a clinical or research doctorate (e.g., Ph.D., Sc.D., Dr.P.H., M.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.V.M., Pharm.D., etc.) at the time of appointment.

  • Have a full-time faculty appointment at one of the following: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Beth Israel Lahey Health, Mongan Institute, Mass General Brigham, Harvard Medical School, partner Community Health Centers (e.g., Fenway, South Cove, Dimock, Chelsea, Bowdoin), Cambridge Health Alliance, University of Massachusetts, or the Massachusetts League.

  • Be able to commit 20–40% full-time professional effort to Mass EQLHS research and career development activities.

  • Have a commitment from their home institution or department to share in funding the research effort.

Who is not eligible to apply?

Applicants are not eligible if they:

  • Do not meet the eligibility criteria listed above.

  • Have been or are currently a PD/PI on a Federal mentored career development award (e.g., K01, K08, K23).

  • Have been or are currently supported on an institutional K12 or KL2 grant (or similar).

  • Have been or are currently a PD/PI on a Federal research grant (e.g., R01, R29, P01) or subproject leader on P01 or P50 grants, or have recently submitted such grants.

  • Note: Applicants may concurrently submit for AHRQ/NIH R03 or R21 grants.

Funding and Budget

How many years are available for research funding?
Up to 2 years. The requested timeframe should align with the expected scope of project work.

What salary and research funding support will be provided by Mass EQLHS?

Mass EQLHS provides a limited, fixed pool of funding to support scholar salary, fringe (capped at 27.3%), and research activities.

  • Funding for 20–40% effort will be split between Mass EQLHS and the scholar’s home department/organization, in alignment with AHRQ expectations for in-kind contributions.

  • Per federal training grant rules, any costs above the salary and fringe caps must be covered by the scholar’s home institution.

What salary and fringe should be used for funding support calculations?

Use your current annual base salary with no merit increases, and fringe capped at 27.3%.

  • If your base salary exceeds the NIH federal salary cap, use the 2023 cap of $212,100.

What indirect cost rate (IDC) is available for scholar and research project budgets?

An 8% indirect cost rate applies, as this is a training grant.

What is included in the total available funding to support the research project?

Research project costs—separate from salary—may total up to:

  • $20,000 for one year, or

  • $40,000 for two years, depending on the level of project effort.

Allowable expenses include:

  • Research-related costs (e.g., supplies, equipment, research staff, statistical support),

  • Career development tuition, books, and fees,

  • Travel to meetings, workshops, or trainings.

Please find an optional application formatting example below Or By clicking here.